Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-05-05
POOR CORN CROPS.
Various Causes Which Combine to Reduce
the Yield of the Cereal in tho West.


the Yield of the Cereal In the West.
The yield of corn in most of the West.
ern States is not what it should be, nor
what it would be, if more care was be.
slowed on the crop. The average yield
per acre is about thirty three bushels.
or One-third the amount that it is pos
sible to produce. For a series of years
Maine has stood first in producing large
crops of corn. according to- the report
OF the National Department of Agricult-
ure. The climate of the State is cold,
the growing season very short, and the
soil. which was never rich, is impover-
ished by continual groupings. The
large yield of corn there shows what
can be accomplished by good tillage.
If corn was planted and cultivated in
Maine as it is on most farms in Illinois
and Iowa the average yield would
not be over ten bushels per acre. The
difficulty of raising corn there causes
farmers to make every exertion to
secure large crop. Like care on the
part OF farmers in the prairie region of
the West would make the average yield
OF corn at least eighty bushels per acre.
When we consider the richness of our
soil and its freedom from stumps and
stones. our small corn crops reflect on
the way corn-fields are managed. No
farmer in what are called the great
corn-growing States should be satisfied
with smaller yield than fifty bushels
per acre, and his constant aim should
be seventy-five bushels
A variety of causes combine to reduce
the yield of corn in the Western States
far below what it should be. There is
too much machine work and too little
hand work, or, as is commonly the
case, no hand work of any kind. A
sulky pillow is used to prepare the land,
machine is employed for dropping the
seed and for covering it. and a riding
cultivator performs all the work once
done by the hoe in the hands of an in
telligent workman. That machines are a
great aid in doing field work is not to
be questioned, but it is certain that
they should not entirely superscde hard
labor. Not only every hill of corn in q
field, but every stalk should come UNI
der the observation of the cultivator
more than once during the growing
season. 1t is very hard to find any
thing approaching perfect row of
corn on even well-managed Western
farm. Some hills will contain more
stalks than can grow and produce good
corn, while others will not contain the
requisite number. Quite likely there
will be hills in which there are no
stalks. for the reason that the seed did
not terminate, or was eaten by birds
or squirrels. Sometimes the seed
sprouted, but the young stalks came in
contact with stones or pieces of turf
and their growth was stopped. No
machine can be relied upon for pl ant
ing corn in missing hills" for thin
ming stalks. or for removing things
that obstruct the growth of young and
tender stalks.
Sufficient care is not taken in obtain
ing suitable varieties to plant or in pro-
curing that which is reliable. Many
who plant the seed they raise are at no
pains to cure it properly. They select
ears from the crib at planting time,
and never test the vitality of the grains.
Quite likely the cobs and kernels were
full of moisture when they were thrown
into the crib. If this was the case the
chances are that the water froze before
the corn become dry and destroyed the
germs. The surface of the ears looked
well, but there was no vitality in
many of the grains. The losses result
ing from planting varieties of corn
not suited to the locality, or seed not
mature or properly cured are very
large every year. Every corn-raiser
should endeavOr to obtain the variety
best suited to the climate and soil where
he lives. andhe then should endeavor to
improve it by judicious selection of
ears and kernels. Ears intended for
seed should be selected while the stalks
are still standing in the field. They
should not remain exposed to the rain
and frost till the snow flies. They
should be traced up. hung in the sun
under an open shed, or placed in a
warm, airy chamber, where they will
be kept dry and out of the way of ver-
min. A hop-curing house or cham
Der used for seasoning lumber is a good
place for drying seed corn.
Many Western farmers ent ertain the |
idea that several successive crops OF
corn can be raised without decreasing
the fertility of prairie soil, and they !!
are only convinced of their error when
their fields fail to make fair return |
for the labor that is expended on them.
Corn ranks among the grass-feeders.
and its supply Of food should not be
stinted. Land devoted to corn should
receive some plant food every year.
If there is not sufficient sta